Throughout my classroom observation experience, I noticed several strengths that the educator as well as the classroom included. Immediately when I walked into the classroom, I was offered a cup of coffee or tea, a place to hang my coat, and a seat to sit in. I was greeted by a warm, caring, and generous woman and was given a sense of belonging within the classroom.
As I looked around the room, each student was quietly working on his/her assignment and seemed at ease and content with their current situation. It was then that I realized the importance of a sense of community and familial feel throughout a classroom and that this environment was extremely conducive to learning. This teacher’s strengths continued to shine through her ability to relate to each of her students on a professional but personal level. She knew their lives, everyday situations, learning styles, goals, strengths, and weaknesses. She utilized what she knew about the student in order to assist each student as much as possible in the most effective ways with their lives as well as their school work. I view organization and order within a classroom as the teacher’s strength because it is extremely difficult to maintain a sense of order and flow in a classroom with students who are always going in and out of the room back and forth between other classrooms and special activities. This educator was able to keep her classroom comfortable for learning but organized and ordered at the same time. In addition, the teacher was clear and concise with all of the directions she gave and made sure that students understood exactly what was expected of them and how to reach that expectation. When it comes to student strengths, the ability to work with one another positively, feel comfortable asking questions, and even feel comfortable making mistakes in

order to learn are a few of the great strengths that I saw within the students. There was a sense of comfort within the room that I feel was key to many of the successes these students are having with this resource room. It was exactly that. It was a room of resources and assistance.
Observing this teacher made me realize that although a special education may cater to several different age groups, learning abilities and styles, subjects and topics, and situations at one moment in time, it does not need to be chaotic, loud, or disorganized (Friend Ch.3).
Observing this educator enhanced my hopes that I can also achieve this type of classroom setting in the future. Previously, I had notions that urban classrooms dealt with many more behavioral issues than suburban classrooms. After having taken this course and after having observed this classroom, my thoughts are solidified that this previous notion was very far from the truth. The setting and environment in which a teacher conducts learning is what determines how students will behave. There is no reason, especially after seeing this, that an urban special education room can’t be organized and positively run with minimal extreme behavior issues amongst students who have full control over their behaviors (Friend Ch.3). In addition, until now, I have not truly been able to take a close look at the resources available in most urban classrooms. Although compared to most suburban schools, urban schools usually work with a more limited supply of resources, I now understand that a creative teacher could and should utilize those available resources to their fullest potential in order to assist the students in their learning (Friend Ch.3).
Although I was extremely impressed with several aspects of this classroom, how it was maintained, and how the students were learning, I do feel that improvements can be

made. Most of the times that I was present, students were sitting in the same chair, doing the same worksheet or assignment on the board, and working silently. Although I believe that it was good that students were seated in a group setting, they were unable to interact verbally with each other for long periods of time. Some students doing the same worksheet were seated at two different tables. I feel as though it would be more beneficial to seat similar ages, grade levels, subjects, or worksheets together in order to increase their chances of learning from their peers. Although the teacher was interactive and actively helping students, she is obviously unable to be in all places at once when several students need help at the same time. In a situation such as this, I would definitely encourage more student-student interaction instead of just working independently. Also, there were times when students needed assistance with words, spelling, or understanding how to write an idea on their paper. This prevented them from continuing their assignment because they felt it needed to be perfect. If I were the teacher in this classroom, I would place a dictionary and thesaurus on each table so little things like word spelling or word ideas are not what keep my students from achieving the ultimate goal of answering the questions given. Also, many of the students seemed to have a hard time sitting still for the extended period of time that they were required to. If I were in this situation,
I would provide several different seating areas throughout the room that allow students to get up, move around, sit in different positions, and stay comfortable while they are learning (Friend
Ch. 6). Ideas that could fulfill this change in seating would be a carpeted area, a bean bag area, individual desks, and group table seating as well. What I feel is most important to point out is that students had absolutely no downtime. They were always moving onto the next activity.
While I believe it is wonderful to keep students stimulated throughout the entire day, I also

believe that it is important that students are allowed to rest their minds while still doing a stimulating activity such as reading or even just looking at a story book, coloring a picture, or doing a puzzle. These activities are still promoting learning, but in a more relaxed setting for the student.
Overall, I was very impressed with the teacher, her ability to manage and maintain her classroom, and the relationships she maintained with her students. I felt as though that connection, in combination with the environment of the classroom, truly allows students to learn in the best possible setting.